First Death Pt. 02

"Meow."

"Yeah, no fucking shit," she said angrily to the cat. She opened a door to a bedroom and shoved me in. I stepped back as she walked towards me, my legs hitting the edge of the bed. Her hands were on my chest as she leaned in, eyes locked on mine. Her pupils looked almost purple but all I could focus on where her full, red lips. I felt my heart pound, the blood rushing through my body, the heat of my cock as it got almost instantly hard. I wanted her.

She parted her lips, slowly licking them before barely breathing out, "Sleep."

Everything went black.

...

I woke up, hot, to a rumbling sound in the darkness. I squinted, the glow from under the door offered a little light reflecting off of yellow eyes on my chest. The cat watched me inquisitively, purring. I pushed my glasses up and rubbed my face before sitting up and dumping the cat off onto the bed. I reached to my pocket to pull out my phone—gone. I checked for my wallet—gone. I glanced around the room and saw an alarm clock: 11:11 pm. Make a wish, I thought snarkily.

I heard voices in the other room though I couldn't tell what they were saying. The woman was talking to someone, a man; when he responded I felt a chill down my spine. I knew that voice. Immediately I got out of the bed and threw the door open, my eyes confirming the origins of the sound though his face was much younger than it should have been.

"Teddy," it came out as a choked whisper.

He got up and quickly walked to me, throwing his arms around my shoulders, "Matty."

I hugged him back, confused but happy—that is, until he pulled away. His pupils were red instead of brown and where he should have had a smooth smile, fangs extended over his bottom lip. I looked into his eyes not quite seeing my brother but something much darker. Something...hungry.

The woman grabbed Teddy's arm and pulled him away from me; he went willingly but his eyes never left mine. He licked his lips.

"No," she said firmly. She dragged him back into the exposed kitchen and opened the fridge; popping a cap off of a bottle she shoved it into Teddy's hands. He tore his eyes off of me and looked down at it before bringing it up to his lips and draining it. She grabbed the empty one from him and replaced it with another before pointing to a brown chair in the living room, "Sit."

He took the bottle, doing as she said. As she followed him, she pointed towards the sofa, staring at me. My eyes darted between the both of them before I relented and sat down. She sat next to me but several feet away.

"What the fuck is going on," I said, looking at Teddy, "you died. I saw you."

He looked immediately to the woman, not responding to my query.

"You left the bar—why didn't you drive home?" She asked.

"My car wouldn't start," Teddy said, drinking from the bottle slowly, "so I started to walk home. I passed an alley and I heard what I thought was a woman crying. I went to see if she was all right but I was hit over the head." He shuddered. "They put something over my face, I couldn't see anything but I knew. I felt a bite on my neck, I felt my flesh rip away. Everything seemed distant...I felt my heart stop but...I still heard them, talking. I couldn't make out what they were saying; it was a woman and two men though." He shook his head, "After that, it is foggy. I remember new people talking, I was put into a bag. It was cold. I was on a table," he squints, "I remember hearing you."

She ignored his last comment, "You never saw their faces?"

"No."

"You died," I reiterated, "what the fuck?!"

She looked at me then to Teddy before nodding. Teddy finally turned his gaze towards me; his eyes were still red, he still had fangs but he seemed to have some control over himself. "Do you remember when I got into that accident, senior year?"

"Yeah," I thought back. Teddy was in a car with one of his friends; they were at a party and were drinking. His friend, Derek, crashed the car and died instantly. Teddy barely made it to the hospital; he died in surgery but they managed to resuscitate. It was a slow recovery and a long road back.

"I died," he reiterates, "like, really died. I remember being on the operating table and it was like time froze. I saw a man—he was old, grey and looked very sad. He came up to me and said that I had passed before my time. He made me a deal—he would spare me, let me go back but when I died a second time, I would be bound to him, to help keep balance in the world."

I didn't believe it—I mean, I couldn't believe it; it made no sense. I looked over at her, she nodded. "He was touched by Death," she said.

"Meow." The cat interjected, jumping up onto the small coffee table before sitting down and facing her.

"What the fuck—" Teddy almost jumped out of his seat like he had just heard a ghost.

She looked at the cat, "You have got to be joking me."

It closed its eyes and purred.

She reached over and grabbed a remote, turning on a large flat screen TV on the wall. It lit up with a closed circuit image of a dark muscle car pulling up in the drive way. The image changed, providing a close up of the house as the car stopped. A man got out; he was tall, dressed in a suit, his hair closely cropped on the sides, the long top swept back.

"Friend of yours?" Teddy asked.

"I don't have friends," she replied. "There are two types of people in my world—those I barely tolerate and those I have yet to kill. He falls into both categories." She got up and opened the door.

The man greeted her with open arms, clasping her biceps as he leaned in for a kiss; she turned her head at the last moment and he relented to kissing her on the cheek, "Oh Lilith, it has been too long." His red, wanton eyes appraised her, long fangs resting against his bottom lip but his smile faded when he saw Teddy. His accent was mildly reminiscent of an English one from long ago, "I didn't realize you were entertaining a...protégé?"

As she reluctantly stepped back, his eyes found me. It sent a shiver down my spine; he looked surprised briefly but there was darkness in his stare—it was evil. He raised a brow, "And a midnight snack?"

"What are you doing here, Ian?" Her voice was flat.

With a fake sincerity he said, "I was in the neighborhood and I decided to stop by."

"Right," she replied sarcastically but allowed him to come in so she could close the door.

Ian tore his eyes off of me returning them to Teddy, "Is he...one of Death's? This is a surprise, it has been decades since he touched someone."

She pointed to a chair adjacent to Teddy but opposite of me before she walked to the kitchen and grabbed two bottles; she handed one to Teddy, one to Ian, "Yes, it was a surprise. I have the feeling he didn't expect Teddy to go through his second death for a while yet. He appears to have been murdered intentionally."

Ian looked shocked, "Oh dear. Have you read his blood—do you know who did it?" She stared him down before he continued, "Oh please Lily, I've known you had the ability for years now, centuries even."

Lily half grunted, "No, I couldn't. I didn't even know he was touched until a cat caught me on Tuesday. By the time I made it to the mortuary they had drained his blood." She looked over to Teddy, "You're lucky I showed up before they pumped you full of formaldehyde and stitched your holes closed. That isn't exactly the most fun way to start your final life. I had them fill you up with whatever blood was in abundance from the bank."

Teddy seemed unnerved by her statement. Ian was looking at Lily but I felt like his attention was entirely on me. He sat perfectly still, almost statuesque, "And the human?"

She glanced at me, "He decided to visit the cemetery while I was resurrecting his brother. He saw everything so I couldn't just leave him to run his mouth."

I heard a buzz; Lily reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. Her face tensed ever so slightly, a small frown marring her perfect lips. "Since you're here Ian, do me a favor? Take Teddy into the city and get him a bite to eat. Just a bite," she reiterated before she stood up and walked over to a safe embedded into the wall, "not a buffet." She opened the safe, pulled out a thick wad of cash and tossed it to Teddy, "And get some clothes that fit. Might as well pick up some for your brother too while you're at it. He might be staying here a while."

Before I could interject, Ian huffed a laugh, "Weren't you the one charged with his transition, Lily? I just simply stopped by to say hello."

She stood before him with her arms crossed over her chest, a small smirk on her lips but her voice came out threateningly, "As if you don't owe me, a few come to think of it. Please refuse me again—I dare you. Your third death has been a long time coming."

He clicked his tongue on his teeth before he stood. He rested one hand on her waist, reaching up with the other to gently stroke her cheek, "I could never refuse you my love. You're so tense these days. After we get this wrapped up why don't we go on holiday, like we used to?" A knowing smile crossed his lips, his voice dropped, "It would do you some good to...relax. I'm more than happy to help you with that."

Her demeanor never changed, her voice sarcastic, "Sure, let me see if I can pencil you in."

"Ugh," Ian rolled his eyes and turned towards the door, "one of these days Lily, you'll give in. Come on—Teddy—is it?"

"Yeah," Teddy says, "Theodore James Colthorse."

"Mmm, you should really go by Theodore, it suits you better."

Teddy glanced at me briefly before they both left.

Lily watched the car exit her driveway before she turned to me and motioned for me to stand, "Drop your pants."

I stood up before I heard her and gave her a look, "Excuse me? That was a bit forward."

She walked over in front of me. I watched her cold blue eyes melt into a deep red. Fangs slowly parted her lips, "I need to read your blood."

I took a step back, startled. It should have occurred to me sooner, "You're one of them," I choked out.

With a brow raised, she looked impatient, "Time is of the essence, Matthew. Blood carries with it memories and I need to see yours so that I can figure out what the hell is going on here." Involuntarily I took another step back but she closed the gap between us, "I won't kill you and it will heal up enough that the bleeding will stop. But, I do need to do it somewhere where it won't be seen by Ian or Teddy." I didn't realize that she had unbuckled my belt, unzipped my pants and pushed them down. Before I could react, she shoved me backwards and I fell against the couch.

My heart was racing while I watched her kneel down in front of me, her cold but soft fingers tracing up my inner thigh, looking for an artery. I drew in a sharp breath as I watched her beautiful face lean forward with her mouth open; her fangs pierced my skin. It burned, a lot like getting stabbed with a needle while they draw blood but then that faded, leaving in its wake a wave of pleasure that radiated throughout my body. I shuddered, a moan escaped my lips. I felt woozy but the dark kind of breathlessness that comes from arousal; I felt my cock grow and stiffen in my briefs. I closed my eyes and rested my head back against the couch. I wanted her. I needed her.

Then, just like that, the feeling was gone. When I opened my eyes she was sitting across the living room in the chair that Teddy had occupied earlier, her beautiful, lusty red gaze fixated on me, her lips were parted and she slowly licked them. Her eyes briefly glanced down to my raging hard on. I groaned, embarrassed as I jumped up right and turned my back to her; I adjusted it before pulling my pants up and painfully getting dressed. I fell back into the couch, pushed my glasses up onto my forehead and dropped my face into my hands; I was mortified.

"It's the venom," she said, her voice deep and husky with want.

I looked up, pulling my glasses back down. She was just as wound up as I was, "What?"

She held my gaze a moment before closing her eyes in an attempt to calm herself, "The venom in our bite amplifies the arousal. It is much easier to feed when your prey doesn't want to leave."

I shuddered again, my eyes wandered over her immaculate face, her perfect body. I wondered what she would look like naked; as my cock started to ache, I drew in a deep breath and tried to clear my mind. A thought occurred to me, "Wait, does this mean that I'm going to become...a vampire? You bit me."

Her eyes opened, a half smirk on her lips, "No. To be made into a vampire you have to strike a deal with Death. To be changed into a vampire, well, you'd have to be drained by one and at the very last moment of your life, drink from one. It is a fine line—many have misjudged it." She shifted in her chair, closing her eyes as if thinking, "Tell me about your mother."

Her words killed the mood for me; I could feel myself growing soft, "What about her? Her name is Theresa Ingrid Colthorse. Err, well, her maiden name was Jameson I think."

Lily opened her eyes, "She doesn't live here?"

"No. I don't know where she lives. She left after I was born and the first time I met her was standing over Teddy's casket."

She looked at me as if she were remembering that moment, "She touched you. It felt...odd."

"Yeah," I said, thinking back.

Lily nodded, "Because she was a witch."

A witch?! Wait, "What do you mean, was?"

Lily picked up her phone and tapped on the screen a few times before she tossed it to me. I caught it, my eyes landing on the picture. There was my mother—dead. It looked like she was lying on some carpet, her lifeless eyes stared off into the distance, her hair somewhat disheveled. There was blood everywhere; her neck had a chunk torn out of it. I kept staring at the picture.

"A detective acquaintance of mine sent me that not long ago. She had ordered room service at 6:30 pm. At 7 pm when it was delivered, she was found dead."

I shut the screen off and tossed it back to her. She caught it and stood up, grabbed her keys, "Come on," she said.

"Where are we going?" I managed to ask.

"To the dog park."

...

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